My Thursday Gift
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A quiet simple life. 
I know for some, a quiet simple life conjures up boring, lazy, lonely and even unproductive. 
Of course we need to have jobs, pay our bills, take care of our health and stay informed – these are necessities. 
And yet for the many years before my retirement, I also did things that I thought were necessary  and were really just an intrusion into my life. Hey it might take me longer than some but once the light is lit …… 
And I know that it can be a challenge in the fast pace of life and obligations to take time for true reflection.
But only in true reflection can we determine, (Is this a genuine necessity or something that is a learned behavior.) Is this what others say is normal, and maybe it is for them but is it for me …… maybe not ever or any more. 
The quiet and simple life …… is up to each of us to design what that means.
Running a marathon, mastering a new hobby, sitting and rocking on the patio, reading a new book or rereading an old one, writing/journaling, spending time in nature –  all examples of a quiet life. It’s about being in your Zone!
What’s important is that you design your quiet life. Not what someone else thinks it should be or doing something because that’s what they do or even doing something contrary to what others may be doing. 
And although I cherish my quiet prayer time each day, 
a quiet simple life is not all about silence and never having difficulties. Which is why it’s so important to acknowledge the intrusions/noises of life. 
And then learn to understand why we welcome them. Is this type of stimuli beneficial to me. Is this a regular occurrence. Because it’s hard to be in your Zone with negative noise. 
Don’t accept what is normal for someone else. It’s easy to get caught up in our mind that we should be doing something else, living differently and even pursuing something we don’t currently have. All intrusions of life, for sure. 
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So this is where you get to design your life!
Listening to your favorite type of music or hearing it at a concert, walking through your favorite garden center, visiting a local farmers market, enjoying a meal at your favorite restaurant or maybe a intimate meal by candlelight. Maybe just a simple walk around the neighborhood. 
Sometimes I pick Riley up, place him on my lap and give him belly rubs as I enjoy my cup of coffee or tea. Sometimes music might be playing, sometimes not. Sometimes we are sitting inside, sometimes out on the patio.  
It’s not always about what I am doing …… what is important is that I have become self-aware. When I am doing the things that bring true contentment, inner calm and peace then I know this is the design of my quiet simple life. 
And today may be Thursday but no matter if it’s a weekday or the weekend, I will not let the light of my quiet simple life be extinguished.
I remain forever grateful to you God.